


Promises: Broken

by Crexendo



Series: Promises [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angels and Demons, Bonding, F/F, F/M, Familiars, Hinata is just a baby phoenix, Kageyama and Hinata do not get along, Language, M/M, Mages and Knights, Magic Academy, Memory Alteration, Multi, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Rating May Change, Separations, There is gay everywhere, Tooru is grossly affectionate, Ushijima is sort of a stalker, Why did I put so many damn tags?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-09 10:59:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8888293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crexendo/pseuds/Crexendo
Summary: Iwaizumi Hajime is a third year student at Shinku Yoake Majutsu Gakuen, Japan's biggest Magick Academy, where students are separated into two different categories, Mages, or more formally known as Zauberer, and Knights, or Chevaliers. Zauberer are gifted with sentient Familiars, mystical and fantastic beasts that come in human form, contracted to defend and fight alongside their summoners, and Chevaliers are granted angelic or demonic Supports, who are bound to aid and protect their masters. Iwaizumi attends his classes, gets decent grades, even when having to deal with the constant annoying banter of his best friend and current partner. Plagued with a reoccurring dream about being abandoned by an unknown figure since he was a child, he struggles to understand what it all means, and if it has anything to do with why he has never been able to summon his Support, and wonders if he'll ever be able to rid himself of the feeling that he's lost something very important.****UNDERGOING REVISION****





	1. I remembered black skies, the lightning all around me

**Author's Note:**

> *****Currently undergoing revision***** I will update the chapters with the new versions as soon as I'm done revising them, and I'm transitioning it from first person POV to third person, so if you're reading this for the first time, I'm sorry if it gets confusing. If you're returning to this work, I sincerely thank you, and please comment and let me know if you like this new version and what you like about it. lso, please let me know if there are any spelling or gross grammatical errors, so I can fix them? Thank you for your patience and your support. - Crexendo

_This was a familiar scene. The misty expanse of damp darkness and the knee deep water too murky to see more than a couple of centimeters into. And in the distance there was a light, but it was vanishing, drifting slowly away._

_Somehow he knew he was losing something very important. Some **one** very important._

_Struggling to move, to give chase, but the water- no, it wasn’t water, it was thick and sticky like hell-born pitch, it clung to his body and kept him tethered where he was. His mind begged over and over, **“Don’t go, don’t go….! Don’t leave me!”** while the one hand he had reached out towards the inky blackness slowly covering up the glimmering whiteness in the form of another being that continued to shrink into the extending darkness; frantic, desperate panic, terror and mind numbing anguish tearing through him, **“Please, come back! Kou-!”**_

~

Iwaizumi Hajime jolted awake, sitting up sharply in his bed, breaths heaving from his chest against the heavy pounding of his heart, cold sweat beading on his brow and the back of his neck. Trepidation still gripped him, and a shudder rippled down his spine. 

“God… not again…” he hissed before burying his face in his hands, trying to steady his breathing, get his heart to calm down enough to where he didn’t feel like he was about to choke on it. It took long minutes before he felt calm enough to let his hands drop into his blanket covered lap, somehow already exhausted even though he’d only been awake for mere minutes. 

He'd always had that dream… always with that retreating figure, always with that name, always unfinished… forever out of reach. He had never woken up before he’d finished the name of whoever was chasing, that single syllable _‘Kou’_ was all he had. It was the same dream that had plagued him for years, ever since he was a child, it used to have him sobbing so harshly it made him sick to his stomach. These days, it just scared him nearly shitless, and there was always the lingering sense of longing, of sadness, of loss. 

He didn’t understand it, and neither did anyone else who’d ever known about it. There was nothing wrong with him, he’d been checked by both regular doctors and master Zauberer alike, but still the dream persisted….

Glancing at the clock sitting on his bedside table, a grimace appeared across his features as he noted the time. Classes didn't start for another fifty minutes, but he definitely wasn't going to get any more sleep at this point, it wasn't even worth it to try. Switching off his alarm before it could go off, he heaved out one final sigh, slipped out of bed, and left his bedroom to climb into the shower. From the silent, dim, and still state of the two bedroom apartment-like dorm, he assumed that his normally obnoxious dorm partner had already vacated the third floor, which was a blessing all on its own. He wasn’t quite in the right state of mind to deal with him at the moment.

The heat of the water helped relax him a little, as did the nearly mindless routine of getting dressed, putting on his standard issue armor, making sure his sword was cleaned and polished, and collecting the necessary books and completed assignments for the day, and tucking them into his backpack. It felt a little easier to breathe by the time he'd finished, but when he put his hand on the doorknob to leave, he hesitated. 

The ache of loneliness in his heart hadn't left, and for a moment, the thought of leaving this quiet familiar space to head into the chaos of another school day seemed incredibly daunting.

He stood frozen, lost in thought for a minute before he caught himself, "What the hell am I doing?" he scolded himself quietly, shaking his head to clear away his morose thoughts. Steeling himself, he twisted the knob and pulled the door open. 

"Better go find Shittykawa before he does something stupid."

~

“Iwa-chaaaan~” a well-known voice called a well known nickname that only one person used as he stepped off the last step that led up to the battery dorms, and Hajime lifted his gaze expectantly towards the sound.

A tall male student who had lively pale brown eyes, and a head of elegant half-formed chestnut colored curls approached him leisurely, leaving behind a group of girls in mixed uniforms who let out a collective whine of disappointment at his departure.

This was his childhood friend, current opposing member of his battery, filling the obligatory mage position, and also roommate, Oikawa Tooru. From the perspective of those who weren't intimately acquainted with the mage, he was often be described as outgoing, friendly and sociable, popular, and very attractive. He was the Academy’s shining star, currently their most highly touted Zauberer, one who was fully expected to win the Black Opal Emblem in this year’s graduation trials. 

In Iwaizumi's personal opinion, the brunet was childish, impulsive, loud, and annoying, and horrifically immature at times, but even so, Tooru was still his best friend, and he trusted him, probably more than anyone else in the world. 

Despite appearances, Tooru was very smart, and he worked extremely hard for whatever he'd chosen as a goal, which people tended to mistake as 'genius'. He was deceptively observant, fiercely stubborn, and highly vindictive, which is why he had excelled thus far. In all of his eighteen years of life, Hajime had never known anyone more ambitious, more ruthlessly determined to succeed than his mage.

"What were you doing?" Hajime asked his partner, giving a faint nod to the small pack of females who were still gazing hopefully in their direction.

Tooru smiled effortlessly, "Nothing much, mostly just waiting for Iwa-chan to get out of bed and for Shou-chan to get back from the library."

The Chevalier looked decidedly unconvinced, "Oh, really, so you weren't just stringing along girls you have absolutely no intention of dating again?" he retorted mockingly.

The pretty male looked scandalized by the accusation, "Rude, Iwa-chan, I was not! They were just wishing us good luck in the Arena this weekend!"

"Sure they were." came the disbelieving snort.

"That's not fair, Iwa-chan! Why are you so mean this early in the morning?"

"I'm not-"

“Daiou-sama!” a boy, who appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen, called out loudly as he twisted and skillfully evaded the other students filing out of the dorms and down the hall towards the auditorium for morning assembly to come skidding to a stop before the mage and his knight. 

Tooru’s countenance brightened immediately, “Ah, Shou-chan! There you are!”

There were sunburst colored feathers sticking out of the younger teen's fluffy hair, which was of the same shade, and layered over where his ears should have been, marking him as one many non-human Familiars who had been summoned by the mages who lived here. In Tooru’s case, he’d been gifted with a type of familiar that very few had ever had the privilege of summoning; he’d summoned a phoenix. The stacked lines of tiny crimson runes on the fair skin of the demi-human’s neck like a collar scripted the details of the contract they’d made with each other the first time they'd met, as well as spelled out the name he was bound to Tooru by, Hinata Shouyou. 

Shouyou was of below average height for a human, and was a little thinner than most others his size, currently clad in a tailored black version of the normally gray uniform for male Zauberer's. It wasn't required for Familiars to wear the uniform, since some weren't actually capable of wearing them at all, but they were provided if requested by the Familiar's summoner. He hated shoes or anything that covered his feet, and refusing to wear them, so he always ran around campus barefoot.

The human-form phoenix was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet a little as he sought his master’s attention, “Daiou-sama," he chirped, "I returned those books to the library like you asked me to, but Kageyama was there too, and he tried to freeze my feet to the floor again!” 

Tooru made a noise that was half irritation, half disgust at the mention of the only other Zauberer in the school who had a chance of rivaling him at the moment, prickly, arrogant first year Kageyama Tobio, “Tobio-chan is such a rude little brat. How dare he try to lay a hand on my Shou-chan.” 

“It’s okay, Daiou-sama, I dodged and then I bit him!"

“Excellent work, Shou-chan!”

Hajime eyed the two of them skeptically, sort of impressed by the level combined idiocy he had to deal with on a daily basis, "Remind me again why you have him call you that?” he asked pointedly, if only to break up their little bonding fest over their mutual dislike of Kageyama Tobio. Most Familiars referred to their summoner as either ‘master’ or by their given name, but Hinata always called Tooru ‘Grand King’, for some unfathomable reason.

Tooru’s fingers carded through the phoenix boy’s hair affectionately, a gesture he made without even really thinking about it. “Shou-chan came up with it all on his own.” He crooned, “Who am I to put a damper on his imagination?”

“Tch.” Hajime snorted, making a face at the way Hinata leaned happily into the touches, practically purring, “Don’t lie to me, Shittykawa. He got the idea from Kageyama after hearing you two went to the same junior high, and you like it when he calls you that.” watching them be so disgustingly sweet with each other sometimes made him want to vomit.

Incensed by the dark haired knight's callous attitude, the sunset haired Familiar broke away from his master’s touch, bodily putting himself in between his master and his aggressor, “Daiou-sama is the greatest!” Hinata crowed loudly in protest, his brown irises brightening into a vivid amber, the temperature of the air around him rapidly rising a few degrees.

Almost immediately, Hajime cuffed him upside the head, not enough to hurt for longer than a second, but enough to make his point, and to snap the red-head's concentration, “Don’t you dare bring out your flames here. I will not be held responsible for the destruction of _more_ school property.” The hall still smelled faintly of charred wood from the last time, “God, Trashykawa, keep your Familiar under contr-“ he stopped suddenly when he lifted his head to meet gazes with his mostly idiotic childhood partner-in-crime and found the chestnut-eyed male staring at him with a particular intensity in his scrutiny. He found himself momentarily unable to speak. 

After a long minute ticked by in silence, Hinata glancing anxiously between the two of them, Tooru spoke up again, “Iwa-chan, did you have that dream again…?”

Hajime froze, just for a second, before a sigh escaped him and he averted his gaze towards the floor, “Is it that obvious…?”

“It is to me.” Came the firm and immediate response.

It was one of those moments when he remembered that there was a reason he and Tooru had been together as friends and partners for so long. They knew each other, after so many years they could read each other like books. They always knew when something was bothering the other based solely off of the subtle differences in the way they moved, the way they sat, or the way they said things, things no one else would be able to pick up on. They could almost predict each other’s thoughts and actions at this point, which was part of the reason they had been put in a battery together.

“I’m fine, Trashykawa.” Hajime insisted irritably, the very last he needed or wanted was to be his mage fussing over him all day.

There was another long pause, only broken by the dull chatter of other students as they made their way to the grand hall for the daily assembly.

Tooru’s lips parted and he drew in a faint breath as he prepared to speak, but the Chevalier didn’t even let him begin.

“I know what you’re going to say, Tooru, I’ve heard it all before, so don’t bother.”

The third-year Zauberer frowned at his partner, an expression that did not quite fit on his fine-featured face, “Iwa-chan-“ he tried again, but once more, Hajime cut him off by sharply turning away from him and Shouyou, beginning to stride down the corridor like all the others.

“The assembly is starting in a few minutes, and I will not be the one Ukai-sensei yells at for being late. You should get moving too.” his tone came out more steely than he intended, but it was too late to take the words back now. He wouldn’t let Tooru say anything more, because if he started, they’d be here all day, and he certainly didn’t need the same rant about how that dream had to mean something, how it must be something really important. That that figure he saw always leaving him behind must vital to him somehow, otherwise he wouldn’t still be having this nighttime delusion.

He didn’t know. 

And if he was completely honest… he was almost afraid of finding out. The ache of loss always lingered after that dream, and left him feeling raw. It was a feeling he was not eager to follow.


	2. I remembered each flash, as time began to blur

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *****Currently undergoing revision.***** I will update the chapters with the new versions as soon as I'm done revising them, and I'm transitioning it from first person POV to third person, so if you're reading this for the first time, I'm sorry if it gets confusing. If you're returning to this work, I sincerely thank you, and please comment and let me know if you like this new version and what you like about it. Also, please let me know if there are any spelling or gross grammatical errors, so I can fix them? Thank you for your patience and your support. - Crexendo

_“Iwaizumi-san… no Support… hasn’t been able to summon his….”_

_“Whose ever heard of a third tier Knight who’s never been able to summon their Support?”_

_“Is he even going to be allowed to graduate without his Support?”_

_“Please, he won’t even stand a chance against Ushijima-senpai, with or without his Support!”_

_“But he has Oikawa-senpai as his Zauberer….”_

_“Oikawa-senpai is the only reason he would win the battery exams, even if they did!”_

I kept my face neutral as I continued down the hall towards the outdoor training grounds for my next class, which happened to be Arms, although, the technical name of it was Armaments and Applications.

I knew my reputation, I knew what I was. I was the Chevalier who had failed to bring forth his Support during the Calling ceremony at the end of my first year. I was the one who was supposedly riding on Tooru’s coattails through all the battery exams.

Not having a Support was decidedly a hindrance to me, and to Tooru, who had to put up with my curbed strength as we fought together.

Supports were a lot like Familiars, though their intended roles were fundamentally different. Where Familiars were supposed to be the figurative brawn that matched their Zauberer’s spiritual strength, Supports were supposed to be exactly as the name indicated; they were there to support Chevaliers. Not just on the battlefield, but also off of it. Supports existed to both assist in combat by strengthening their Knight’s weapons, armor, or body through enchantments, or to strike from a distance, or to heal wounds or cast shields when necessary, but they were also tasked with keeping their summoner sane and healthy. Familiars were often influenced by the emotions of their mage, while, on the flip side, knights could be influenced by their Supports if the situation called for it.

To make it simple, Familiars are the swords, and Supports are the shields. 

More often than not, Supports that were summoned were some type of demon, though, in rare cases, angels were summoned as well. Cases such as those were rare and typically a sign of vast potential and true might for the Chevalier. And unlike Familiars, who were given names by their summoners, Supports already had names that could be used to bind them, in extreme situations. There were currently two Chevaliers at the school who had been lucky enough to form a contract with an angel as their support; Bokutou Koutarou and Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Bokutou Koutarou was a third tier Chevalier, like me, famous for his boisterous and outgoing personality and his almost legendary skill with a Western-style two handed broadsword, whose Support was a taciturn male angel with lightly curling black hair and piercing midnight blue eyes who was known as Akaashi Keiji. Akaashi had large downy white wings with black flecks, the wings of a great snowy owl, and his specialty was enhancement and magic reflection.

The other angel, Shirabu Kenjirou, was a bit shorter and a bit more slender than Akaashi, with straight copper colored hair, a perpetually serious, faintly irritated look on his face, and intense gray-brown colored eyes. His wings were mottled gray, brown, white and black, and were thinner, more angular, curved against his body a little tighter, the wings of a Peregrine falcon. His forte was defensive barriers and creating seals, though he also had an affinity for ice.

His summoner however, Ushijima Wakatoshi, was our Academy’s most overwhelmingly powerful Chevalier, and just as Tooru was expected to win the highest honor possible at the end of the year graduation trials for Zauberer, the Black Opal Emblem, the massive, broad shouldered male was on track to obtain the most prodigious award for Knights, the Chromium Brand. 

Most people on campus were of the opinion that the two of them could be the strongest battery in school history, if they chose to put in a request to change partners, and they were probably right, but I knew that was never going to happen.

The reason behind that being that Tooru absolutely could not stand him, and it wasn’t hard to see why. The man was arrogant and utterly assured of his own skill, cold and unforgiving of weakness, but that wasn’t the part that drove my partner up a wall. Starting from the middle of our first year, up until about a month ago, Ushijima had approached Tooru at least once a week, pestering him to submit a battery change request, stating that he was a far better match for him than I was, to which Tooru would vehemently, and sometimes violently, reject, followed by Ushijima pressing his request again. More often than not, it ended with Tooru storming away in a rage.

However, one had to keep in mind that Tooru was not only a talented mage in his own right, but he had a very powerful, and very devoted Familiar. The last incident, which had resulted in part of the entrance of the boys dorm being destroyed, was caused by Shouyou channeling Tooru’s anger and taking on his full phoenix form to defend his master, only to lose control of his consciousness and be overwhelmed by instinct. The only reason Ushijima had not been hurt in the incident was because Shirabu had managed to conjure up an ice barrier to defend him from the flames. 

It had taken several of the teachers and other staff to calm the raging phoenix, which had ultimately required them to bind Hinata in stasis for almost a week, and since then Ushijima had been forbidden from approaching both the Zauberer and his Familiar. It was something that Tooru had never forgiven the stoic Chevalier for, for driving Shouyou into insanity. 

I don’t think my best friend actually hated the bastard until that moment he was forced to watch his beloved, blazing Familiar struggle against the spell-conjured chains forcing him into submission, shrieking in fury and pain, unable to hear Tooru’s voice, and Tooru himself not having the strength or the real will to bind him himself, unable to bring himself to cause him more pain.

I couldn’t deny that there was the potential for Tooru to reach new heights with someone as naturally gifted as Ushijima Wakatoshi, but there was no way I wanted to let him rub our hard work, our fierce struggle to the top, in our faces, and watch it amount to nothing. I didn’t want Tooru’s pride, as fierce and intense, and terribly fragile as it was, to be overshadowed the Chevalier’s tenacity. I wasn’t going to hand him over to Ushijima, any more than Tooru was going to submit to him. 

But with not having a Support, that definitely put us at a disadvantage, even with us clinging fiercely to second place in the current battery rankings. First was Bokutou and the Zauberer he was partnered with, a tall, lanky first year with short blonde hair, amber-brown eyes, and glasses who was saltier than the Dead Sea and went by the name of Tsukishima Kei. 

Tsukishima was one of the first years who had already succeeded in summoning their Familiar, and was getting high enough compatibility marks with them to be acknowledged by the teachers, which is why he’d already been put in a battery, despite still being just a junior. His Familiar was a sleekly muscular and surprisingly graceful shapeshifter. This onyx haired shifter’s name was Kuroo Tetsurou, and unlike most Familiars, he did not spend most of his time in human from, but rather in the shape of a black cat, often draped around his summoner’s shoulders.

Both of them were assholes, as far as I was concerned, only where Tsukishima was unapologetic about being an asshole, Kuroo was as smug as they came when he chose to be in human form, constantly waltzing behind his summoner with a smile that could put the Cheshire Cat to shame, and a perpetually mischievous gleam in his dark eyes. He got along almost disturbingly well with Bokutou, (on the same level of annoying as Tooru and Shouyou in my opinion) and Tsukishima was actually civil to Akaashi, so when it came down to it, the four of them actually worked well together, and constantly received high compatibility marks as well as great arena scores. 

Despite Ushijima’s undeniably superior performance as a Chevalier, he held third place in the battery rankings at the moment, just behind Tooru and I. The reason behind that was that the lancer-bearer’s battery partners were constantly requesting to be changed, and if the rumors were anything to go by, it was because working with our resident Champion-to-be was too intense, or that they were pressured into submitting the necessary forms for battery changes, but whether this was because everyone was aware Ushijima only truly wanted Tooru as his Zauberer, or because of Ushijima’s rather single-minded and merciless personality itself, it was hard to say. All in all, it meant he didn’t have the time to build the necessary trust between Zauberer, Familiar, Chevalier, and Support needed to truly make a battery. 

Hence, our slight lead over him in that field, even though he still vastly outstripped me as a Chevalier.

Truthfully, I didn’t know why I hadn’t been able to summon my Support. I’d performed my part of the Calling ritual just like everyone else had, and when it came time for me to call forth the creature destined to fight at my side, the answer I received was… nothing. What was supposed to be the opening of a gate between our world and theirs reaching through to take the hand of the being waiting on the other side, for me, it was nothing. Even when I’d been called into the Headmaster’s office with my instructors to attempt the ritual again. It had been devastating, infuriating….

It was… incredibly lonely, in a way. All those who had summoned their Supports or their Familiars all had someone they had an absolute bond with, someone they could always count on to have their back to be at their side, no matter what… and I didn’t have that. Sure, I had Tooru, but… his relationship with me was not the same breed as the one he had with Shouyou. I didn’t want that sort of connection with Tooru anyways, but still, I wanted something like that for myself….

Meandering in my own thoughts was not helping my state of being at all, and I could feel a headache starting to come on, to make matters worse. I attempted to push away my own slightly bitter, melancholy mental musing and instead started to run through the stance flow I’d been assigned to work on by my Arms instructor. It was moderately successful at distracting me.

As I cleared the last of the stairs leading down and out of the main building, I caught sight of a familiar being, coming from the direction of the outdoor facilities, likely having just finished a battery session with his Chevalier. “Good morning, Tsukishima-kun.” I said as he passed, if only to be polite. The Zauberer may have been partnered up with Bokutou and Akaashi in a battery, but I didn’t have a real reason to dislike him. He may not be the nicest person, but he generally chose to ignore those he didn’t dislike enough to make an effort to insult them. 

The famously prickly Zauberer nodded in greeting, “Iwaizumi-san.” He acknowledged blandly, and continued walking, but the figure skulking just behind him stopped. 

“Oya~? No. 2-kun looks a little off today. Get in a fight with Pretty Boy again?” This was Kuroo, and given the fact that he was dressed only in some red track pants, and was still sporting a long black tail, feline ears that shifted minutely in response to sound, and a sharp-toothed grin, my guess is that he’d only come out of animal form a short time ago, and had just been too lazy to go full human. 

My eyes narrowed, so not in the mood to deal with him at the moment, not with everything I had rolling around inside my head today, “Don’t fuck with me, Kuroo.” I snapped at him, “And don’t call Tooru that, it’ll only encourage him if he hears about it.”

Kuroo took a step back with his hands raised in the universal gesture for ‘calm down’, “Oooohh, testy. Don’t freak out. Didn’t mean to offend. Just wanted to make sure you had your fighting spirit still for our exam on Friday.”

“You’ll just have to find out in the arena, won’t you?” I snorted in response, one of my hands dropping to the hilt of my katana almost unconsciously. 

The raven haired shifter’s grin faded then, “You’re awfully hostile today.” He groused, “Seriously, what’s put a kink in your tail? You-” 

“Tetsurou.” Tsukishima cut him off sharply, a note of warning lighting the edge of his voice as he peered menacingly over his shoulder back at his Familiar, from where he stood a couple of meters down the hall, part of the way up the stairs, “Drop it. I have a class to get to and I don’t have time to waste waiting for you to finish arguing with Iwaizumi-san.”

After a few moments of silence on the demi-human’s part, he let out a little sigh, and the tension visibly drained out of him, the fur lining the skin of his back along his spine laying flat again, “Yes, yes, Master,” The sinewy male smirked, the end of his tail flicking back and forth in a amused fashion, likely in response to his summoner’s characteristic behavior, “as you wish.” As he moved past me, I could see the gleam of hunger in his eyes, the hunger for challenge, for vindication, “See you on Friday, No. 2-kun.”

My eyes followed them for a bit longer, “Yeah… you sure as hell will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've spent so much of my time invested in this idea, world building, deciding which characters are what, so on and so forth, you wouldn't believe it. 
> 
> In the future, I'll be doing some side stories about other characters and batteries, which is why this is marked as a series. Let me know if you have a particular pair you wanna see.
> 
> Comments and reviews give me life, encouragement keeps my motivation up, so please, I crave them.
> 
> But above all, I hope you enjoy this story.
> 
> -Crexendo


	3. Like a startling sign, that fate had finally found me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *****Currently undergoing revision***** I will update the chapters with the new versions as soon as I'm done revising them, and I'm transitioning it from first person POV to third person, so if you're reading this for the first time, I'm sorry if it gets confusing. If you're returning to this work, I sincerely thank you, and please comment and let me know if you like this new version and what you like about it. Also, please let me know if there are any spelling or gross grammatical errors, so I can fix them? Thank you for your patience and your support. - Crexendo

“Alright, everyone, quiet down, quiet down,” The instructor called over the field of chattering students, but was, at the moment, largely ignored. 

I saw his eyebrow twitch with annoyance from where I was standing a few meters away, already anticipating what came next.

“I said quiet your asses down!” Ukai-sensei roared out, “That means you, Bokutou-kun!” 

The third year with his spiky white-grey-black hair and golden amber eyes looked appropriately startled when he was singled out, but quickly shut up and tried his best to look attentive. Beside him, Akaashi rolled his eyes in exasperation for what was likely the tenth time today. Everyone else quieted down as well, for fear they might be the target of our teacher’s wrath next.

“Look, I know you’re all probably buzzed about the midterm battery exam coming up this Friday, especially those that are participating, but do keep in mind you all have individual trials coming up the week after as well. Don’t forget to spend time on your routines.” Having given his primary announcement, Ukai-sensei turned his attention down to the clipboard he’d been holding, “Now, for the next fifteen minutes, pair off and run through your warm ups, then we’ll run a few laps before I start coming around to preview your pieces for singles. For those not being reviewed, and those who are participating in battery competition this weekend, you can spar with others who are going to compete as well, and those who aren’t participating, keep working on your routines. Lastly, for anyone who wants extra credit, Saeko is more than willing to take on any hopefuls today.”

The blonde haired she-demon who was our Arms teacher’s Support flashed a characteristic grin at the mention of her name, the sun glistening off her bone-like horns that curved up and then forwards and down, the points ending an inch or so away from her cheekbones, making them all the more striking. 

The deal was, you beat her, and you got fifty points added to the category you had the lowest grade in, which was an entire rank jump, the catch, however, is she got to choose which weapon she wanted to use at the beginning of the match, and her unique strength was that she could use practically any weapon, at an master level, which was a skill she shared with her summoner, which, in turn, was the main reason, the two of them had been assigned to teach Arms in the first place. There weren’t many Avatars of War among Supports, but they did exist. You also couldn’t rely on your own Support, if you had one. 

In any case, no one had been able to defeat her yet, unsurprisingly. I’d tried a couple of times, and she’d chosen to school me with a different weapon every time. One of my classmates, Tanaka Ryuunosuke, if I was remembering his name right, who was a second year, tried at almost any given opportunity.

“Alright, everyone, get going!”

“Yes, sir!” The class droned out in reply.

Warm ups passed rather quickly, and it came time for those of us who were fighting in the battery exam on Friday to pair off and spar against one another until it was our turn to show off our individual routines to Ukai-sensei. I swiftly started to head across the field towards Matsukawa, a third year Tooru and I had become friends with our first year, maybe I could partner with him before-

“Iwaizumiiiiii! Come spar with me!” 

_'Too late.’_ I stopped walking, biting back the groan welling up in the back of my throat.

“Iwaizuuuummmmiiiiiii!” Bokutou Koutarou called out as he ran towards me, already grinning like he usual did, as though he were perpetually excited by life in general.

Everyone was either intimidated by his skill or put off by his blatant exuberance, which often left me ‘the second place Chevalier’ to spar with him, since Ushijima had been removed from regular Arms classes and now had several special mentors to work with. It wasn’t that I disliked him, it was more that… sparring with him was… hard. And once he’d pinpointed me, it was almost impossible to avoid getting roped into being his partner.

“Yes, Bokutou-kun…?” I asked dryly, turning to face him as he practically skid to a stop a few feet away.

“Spar with me!” came his child-like demand, softened by his excitable anticipation.

“Use your words, Koutarou.” Akaashi chided from behind him as he approached, at a much more sedate pace than his partner had, “And your manners, that’s not how you ask someone for something.” 

In response to his Support’s chastisement, almost instantly, the broadsword-wielder bowed deep at the waist, “Please be my sparring partner today, Iwaizumi-san!” he declared without heed to how loud his voice actually came out.

The level of formality he exhibited was somehow unsettling, given how he normally acted, and it also was drawing attention from other people, which I did not need. I took a step back in response, “A-Ah… there’s no need to be so polite, Bokutou-kun… I’ll be your sparring partner.”

Akaashi’s piercing midnight blue gaze switched to me, observing quietly for a moment, “… Please don’t feel obligated to agree to his demands all the time, Iwaizumi-san. Koutarou is perfectly capable of sparring with a different partner if you would like a break. I do know that his method of training can be… overwhelming at times.”

I caught myself before I flinched and gave away that the angel had hit the nail on the head, but I ended up shaking my head, “No… it’s fine.” I said, sighing a bit, “He just puts his whole being into whatever it is he’s doing.” 

Akaashi’s expression softened a bit at that, and his lips curved in a graceful smile, “Yes… he does. I’m happy you recognize that, Iwaizumi-san.” There was a rare note of unguarded affection in the Support’s voice at that moment, doubtlessly for his bonded knight.

I shrugged, “He’s like Tooru, in some ways. He’ll completely throw himself into things without thought or fear of the consequences if he’s really passionate about it. So… I get it.” Because I did. There were times I had been forced to bodily drag Tooru away from his textbooks or from one of the practice facilities because he would get so absorbed in whatever he was doing that he’d forgo sleeping and eating, and just taking care of himself in general, sometimes training his spells to the point where his body was about to give out from exhaustion. That stubborn, whole-hearted tenacity was something he and Bokutou shared.

“Heeeeyyy, stop talking about me!” Bokutou protested loudly at that moment, but the embarrassed flush of his cheeks was impossible to miss. 

Both his Support and I stared at him, mildly surprised, before both of us started laughing. It took both of a minute to calm down, but some of my earlier tension had drained away. Perhaps what I needed was a long, hard sparring match to work out what lingering frustrations I still carried.

Akaashi backed up, outside of the patterned white circle imprinted by magic in the dirt of the training field, marking the area we had to confine our battle to, taking up residence where the referee typically stood, “My apologies, Koutarou. We’d better get started before Ukai-sensei bares his fangs at us.”

Bokutou pumped a fist into the air, his previous elation returning rapidly, self-consciousness forgotten, “Alright!” he crowed, bouncing over to his starting point.

I walked calmly to my side of the circle, “I won’t go easy on you, Bokutou-kun.” I said firmly as I slid my katana out of its sheathe smoothly, and shifted my feet a bit wider into a starting stance. 

Bokutou’s grin became feral, “I’ve never asked you to, Iwaizumi.” He growled back, unstrapping his monstrous broadsword and letting the hilt slip into his waiting hand, bringing the blade out and then up, adding his other hand to the hilt and positioning the weapon at the ready in front of him, his stance wide and solid.

Akaashi raised a hand above his head, “Ready….” He held his hand high, before bringing it down swiftly, “Begin!”

~

“Gods, training with Bokutou is exhausting….” I grumbled as I sat my already aching body down onto the deep green suede couch set in the living room of the two bedroom, one bathroom dorm I shared with Tooru.

“Iwa-chan! Come with me, I want to use the Containment Field!” Tooru’s voice came from the kitchen, where he’d apparently just finished drying the dinner dishes, as he was drying his hands with a towel.

“Go by yourself,” I snorted at him over my shoulder, “or better yet, take the Familiar you summoned, you know the one who’s currently making himself a traffic obstruction in the middle of the floor.” 

The young phoenix in question was lying on the carpeted floor of the living room, limbs splayed out as though he owned the space. He had fallen asleep after dinner and was effectively dead to the world. It was not an unusual occurrence, but it didn’t make him any less of a nuisance.

Tossing the towel aside, Tooru clapped his hands together in front of his face in a pleading gesture, “Pleeeeease, Iwa-chan, I need you to be my spotter! I’m trying to perfect the release on my compressed bolts, I can’t seem to get it to go perfectly straight, it always veers off course at the last second. Shou-chan doesn’t have enough experience to know exactly what to look for.”

I groaned a little, and slumped over to lay on side on the couch. He was right though, that was advanced magic technique he was talking about, something the feathery-haired boy frolicking peacefully through dreamland currently would know next to nothing about. All the time a Chevalier would have normally spent developing strategies and improving the link between them and their Support was I time I spent helping Tooru with his spellcrafting. I basically learned everything from the Basics of Spellcraft to the intricacies of Spatial Magic Theory alongside him as I helped him through his homework and projects. The reason we’d been able to work so well together in the arena and beat even complete batteries who had been together for a year or more is because I had a much deeper understanding of what Tooru could do, how long he needed and exactly what sort of conditions he needed met in order to do it.

Sitting up straight again, I looked over my shoulder back at my battery partner, at the blatant pleading in his chestnut brown eyes, and sighed, “Fine, I’ll go. Give me a minute.” 

A brilliant grin lit Tooru’s features, “Ah! Iwa-chan’s the best! I’ll get my bag!” without waiting for me to respond, he was already moving towards his room to get his things.

Rising to my feet, I nudged Hinata’s side with one foot, “Oi, Hinata. Wake up.”

His face scrunched up and small, discontent noises escaped the demi-human, “Nnnngh… bweeeh… Wha…?” after a few moments, his eyes opened.

I busied myself with slipping on my standard issue Chevalier gear, which consisted of a lightweight, tempered steel chest guard and shoulder guards that were connected with a few leather straps, and then the hip and shin guards, and lastly, thick leather wrist guards, “We’re going down to the Containment Field. We’ll be back in a while. Lock the door behind us and go to bed, in your bed, not in the middle of the floor.”

Hinata stared blearily up at me, blinking slowly a few times before focus returned to his gaze, followed by comprehension, and he rolled over onto his stomach and grunted with the effort of pushing himself up first onto his knees and then up to his feet, though he swayed slightly as he stood there, his hands balling into loose fists as he rubbed his eyes. They dropped back down to his sides, and he glanced around the room, most likely looking for his master.

My childhood friend emerged from his room with his white and pale blue messenger bag slung over one shoulder, and immediately saw Hinata looking for him before approaching, “Be good, Shou-chan.” Tooru purred, cupping the Familiar’s face between his hands to plant a kiss on his forehead.

“’Kay….” The boy mumbled sleepily, though he smiled at the action, and tilted his head back to put a little peck of his own on Tooru’s jawline, “Come back soon, Daiou-sama….”

~

The Containment Field was an indoor gymnasium that had layer upon layer upon layer of enchantments on every surface in there that was designed to absorb magic upon impact, and to shield any living thing inside from harm, as evidenced by the faint purple sheen that coated everything, including people, when they entered the room. It existed so Zauberer would have a place to practice their spellcraft without fear of damaging anything or hurting anyone while inside. It was set up with targets and all sorts of devices that could be set to measure distance, speed, the strength of the spell in magical units, record clips for play back analysis, so on and so forth.

At the moment, we were the only ones who were using the space, but given that it was about eight ‘o’clock at night, that wasn’t too surprising. I took up a position on the first row of low bleachers lining both sides of the gymnasium, right behind the control board and began to set up the devices we wanted while Tooru walked straight out onto the polished wood floor.

All Zauberer were naturally talented in a single form of elemental magic, such as Kageyama used ice, and Tsukishima specialized in shadow magic. There were various other types, those who were able to use nature, earth, water, fire, light, to name some, but Tooru… he was gifted with the ability to shape lightning to his will. And he was damn good at it. 

I watched as Tooru took the proverbial center stage near, closing his eyes and taking in a few deep breaths to center his focus, before raising his hands above his head. 

After a few seconds, I began to hear the faint crackling and popping, which was followed by flashes of blue light, small at first, before I could see the electricity lancing up his arms, gathering just above his upward facing palms, until a sphere of brilliantly glowing energy formed in perfect symmetry between his hands, a couple of feet above. Rapidly growing larger, it soon was the size of an industrial wrecking ball. 

It was at that moment Tooru clapped his hands together, still raised high in the air, before bringing them down in front of his chest. His hands parted about six inches and his fingers curled inward a bit, as though he were about to claw at the air, and that was when the compression began.

Compressing magic was an advanced technique that basically condensing a vast amount of magical energy into one or two central points, usually the palms, focusing it, so when used, the spell’s force would increase exponentially. It couldn’t be held onto very long, not without it either back-lashing or the caster losing their hold on it, both of which could cause serious injury or even death, which is why it wasn’t even taught until the middle of the third year. One had to have the concentration, the capacity to even hold that much magic at once, especially when it was condensed down into a sphere the size of a softball or smaller, depending on how skilled the mage was. Tooru’s compression bolts were capable of causing horrific amounts of damage in mere seconds if performed in an unprotected space, the only safe places to do it on campus being the Containment Field, or the Arena. 

Small bolts of pure lightning essence began to jump from the gathered mass above my Zauberer’s head to his shoulders, down his arms and from the tips of his fingers, reformed in the space between his palms as a much smaller orb. This process continued as the first globe fed into the second, growing smaller until it vanished entirely, and Tooru was left holding onto a sparking ball of condensed lightning energy, about the size of a baseball.

The target was one of the absorption rods at the far end of the field, about two meters tall, with a softly pulsing green light on the top of it. I watched with fascination as Tooru’s chestnut colored eyes, brightly lit by the reflected glow of his magic, found the target, straightened his fingers, turning his palms outward and…

Let go.

There was an almost deafening crack, like the sound of thunder overhead, and the air _shuddered_ as a bolt of blue-white light ripped through the space. It looked as though it were perfectly straight and on target to hit the absorption rod, but had a slight curve near the end and the spell streaked past the intended target and slammed against the wall behind it, where it dispelled, the energy being absorbed into the room’s protection enchantments, proving it sustenance to continue surviving. The whole thing took less than two seconds. 

Tooru’s arms dropped back to his sides, and he turned to meet my gaze, “You see, Iwa-chan?”

He sounded so put out that I had to chuckle, “Yeah, I saw it, just give me a bit.” 

I reversed and replayed the recording of, and poured over the numbers of the magick levels for a few long minutes before I detected a slight irregularity in the data, “Mmmmm, it looks like you’re just the faintest bit too light on the discharge from your left hand,” I called out to him, “it’s causing the focus point to destabilize at the moment of release, which is what is causing it to veer off target, so put in just a tiny bit more into your left hand and try again.”

Tooru looked down at his hands, curling and uncurling his fingers a few times, eyes narrowing in thought, likely mental calculations on how to make the change. About a minute passed, before he nodded sharply, “Alright, I’ve got it. Let’s give it another shot.”

I watched him take his position once again, compress, and release. This time, the bolt flew straight and crashed into the absorption rod with a brilliant flash, dissipating as the bolt before it did.

Tooru’s smile reminded me of Bokutou’s earlier today, an almost crazed expression that was a mixture of excitement, pride, and a sort of hunger for more, for victory, a shining example of ambition incarnate. “Perfect hit!” he growled from low in his chest, and I more saw his lips forming the words than heard them from this distance.

I nodded in acknowledgement, unable to suppress the small smile of my own from appearing on my face, “I saw,” I assured him, “Do it a few more times just to make sure you have the discharge down.”

“Understood!” his affirmation came without hesitation.

“Aaahhh, Oikawa-senpai is always so cool…!” a voice said lightly from somewhere behind me.

I turned my eyes towards the voice, finding one blonde haired, brown-eyed Yachi Hitoka, first year light Zauberer, standing a few feet away, with her Familiar trailing close behind her. She sat down on the bench two rows above me, and watched as Tooru prepared to fire another compressed bolt, currently oblivious to their presence.

“Good evening, Iwaizumi-san.” Raven haired Shimizu Kiyoko said as she took a seat next to her summoner, “You and Oikawa-san are working late.”

Shimizu was a wraith, traditionally a spirit made of shadows and malevolence, capable of capturing human hostility and negative emotions and wielding them as weapons. Their true forms are supposedly terrifying, masses of sticky shadow, dripping black ichor, naked wings of bone, golden eyes that stripped away layers of the soul, at least according to what was taught in our Magic History and Culture class. That being said, no one on campus could confirm ever seeing Shimizu is her true form, despite the rumors that floated about. For the most part, she was serene, graceful, and always, always watching out for her master.

“Same could be said about you two.” I retorted evenly. She wasn’t wrong, given the hour, but I doubted it would take Tooru long to readjust his release so it hit the target dead on every time like it was supposed to, we weren’t likely to be here too much longer.

The Familiar gave a faint shrug, but smiled fondly at her summoner, “Hitoka-chan wanted to get in some more practice before the battery exam this weekend.”

Yachi blushed a little beside her, looking down at her hand curled into loose fists in her lap, “Th-This is my first match…! I don’t want to let Tanaka-senpai and Ennoshita-san down!”

I stared at her for a long moment, watching her jump in her seat, startled by the sound of another one of Tooru’s compressed bolts being fired off, Kiyoko immediately putting a hand on her back, sliding up to stroke her hair comfortingly and speaking softly to her, effectively calming her nerves. She was young, inexperienced, and while her partner was a second year, they probably wouldn’t start making a dent in the rankings until next year, at the earliest. 

“Hey, listen…” they both looked over at me when I started to speak, “it’s good to have that enthusiasm and determination, but…” I paused, trying to form the words to say what I wanted in a way that wouldn’t be considered insulting, “don’t be discouraged if you get knocked out early. A battery is something that really comes together with time, effort, and trust. And as a first year, there is most likely going to be third tier Zauberers that are going to outclass you just by sheer experience. That being said, getting put into a battery as a first year will give you an advantage in the long run. Still… trust your partner, and their Support, as well as your own Familiar. You may not win, but they won’t let you down.”

It took a moment for my words to sink in, but the light of understanding came into her chocolate colored orbs, and she bowed respectfully towards me, “Ah! Thank you, Iwaizumi-senpai! I’ll definitely remember what you told me!”

“Ara, is Iwa-chan actually giving out good advice for once~?”

Habitual annoyance bloomed in my chest, my good mood destroyed once again by whatever obnoxious thing my partner had to say, “Oi, you’re not known for your sage advice either, Shittykawa.” I snapped back at him.

“O-Oikawa-senpai!” Yachi chirped, practically jumping to her feet as my mage came to join our little assembly on the bleachers.

“Ya-hoo, Yacchan~ Kiyo-chan~” Tooru purred, greeting his kouhai and her Familiar with a slightly softer smile than he normally wore, I knew he had a soft spot for the perpetually nervous, though earnest light Zauberer, “Did you come to work on your Prism Distortion? You’ve been running that one hard in class lately.” 

“A-Ah, you r-remembered!” The petite light mage flushed harder than before, and she toyed nervously with the hem of her pale gray Zauberer blazer, unable to meet her upperclassman’s gaze directly, “Y-Yes! I wanted to see if I could i-improve the break point and extend the area of d-distortion…!”

By the look in his eyes, I knew Tooru was going to insist on staying to give her some impromptu tutoring, as much as he was able anyways, since light elemancy and lightning elemancy were two different fields of study, but I’m sure Tooru would be able to transcribe some of the techniques and such to her benefit. But that could very well take a while, and after sparring with Bokutou, I would need all the rest I could get to be ready for not only the battery exam, but also the after school coaching session I’d requested from Ukai-sensei for my individual routine tomorrow. 

I rose to my feet, careful not to bash my sword’s hilt on anything as I stepped away from the control booth, “Seeing as you’ve fixed your problem, and I’m not needed anymore, I’m going to go back to the dorm, make sure Hinata hasn’t burned the place down. Don’t stay out too late, or I will come drag your useless ass back to the dorms myself.”

“Rude, Iwa-chan! Don’t say such things in front of Yacchan!” Tooru scolded, scowling at me, though his eyes were amused, so I knew he wasn’t truly angry with me, “Be off with you, you big brute, shoo, shoo.” He waved me away with his hand, “And don’t you dare be mean to my Shou-chan!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I scoffed as I went. I could still hear his voice as I walked out of the Containment Field, before the door closed behind me.

“Now, Yacchan, allow the great Oikawa to give you some pointers….”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long... this chapter ended up being way longer than I initially intended it to be and... well, stringing point A to point B is forever my struggle.
> 
> But, now that we've gotten the majority of the school life set up, as of next chapter, things should start picking up and things will get exciting.
> 
> But I really, really hope you guys like this chapter!
> 
> As always, comments and reviews keep me alive and my motivation up, I humbly beg you to feed my ego so I can continue this.

**Author's Note:**

> Song for title chapters is New Divide by Linkin Park.
> 
> ****See top notes for revision updates****


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